Sigil: T.C.o.D - [Walk-In][Modern Fantasy: Cycle 32][O/A]

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

Guildhall Ward

Tres didn't even bother to dive in the crowd for her and he wondered to himself why he even bothered calling out. In this thicket of individuals he was never gonna find the person dressed in black with grey hair as it was likely twelve people who fit that description currently in that patch of street alone. With a frustrated sigh Tres would return to his seat and think about what to do. It was probrably best that he hadn't pursued the thief as he couldn't afford to be seen right now anyway.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

OOC:

Would you like Willow to meet Sieg again. If so I can think up something that could logically reintroduce them. Just give me a second.

[Lykaios Theta]

{ Certainly, if you don't mind the interaction. }

And so Willow continued meandering the streets, certain after the first few minutes of no shouts or grabbing hands that she was safe to continue eating her stolen meal in silence and follow the natural flow of the crowd.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

Despite the fact that the Guildhall Ward was the sight of the growing prosperity that the city of Sigil could bring to those who had the will and desire to improve the station of their lives, there were all those who were less fortunate. Usually men or women, with the strength and responsibility to earn a living in Sigil could find means to do so as work wasn't something that was difficult to find. It was the children who suffered the most due to the fact that usually their parents were forced to work all day to earn a food for their children to survive, for that reason, children are often left to there own devices within the vastness of Sigil. To keep them from being seduced by the wilds of the hive, or even worse the devices of evil arcanist...Often orphanages served also as full care services for children whom had parents but didn't have anyone to take care of them.

There were no laws in Sigil, what was there to stop the evil and prophane from preying on children but people like Sieg Ecstuffuan. While not travelling and crusading, Sieg lived in Sigil and while he did he usually lent his services to the Star Grove Orphanage. This orphanage was one of the largest in Sigil and it was positioned off the side of its main street. In front of the orphanage was a small park like front yard, giving the children an area to play in while giving them a protected exposure to the commerce of the guildhall ward.

In the Front Yard of the orphanage people would glance curiously at the organized rows of children, each moving in unison through a martial arts kata routine. The kids ranged from ages 6 to 16 and yet they each acted with an equal amount of discipline, lead through the martial routines by a single man who stood at the front of the rows. The children were of a varied range of races, Sieg believed that each child no matter what race deserved good role models. There movements were slow, focused, precise and yet powerful. Through these exercises they gained a sense of discipline, a goal, a purpose, and a means of defense against the dangers that they would undoubtedly encounter simply by living in Sigil.

"Alright kids...Kata number one Hajime"


"HEI!", the children responded in unsion as they all dropped into there stance. There legs were spread medium width with there elbows held back and hands positioned at there hips bawled into tiny little tight fist.

"IYA!"

Sieg began shifting perfectly into the first movement of the kata, his right foot shifted forward along the grass with his toes pointing inward and knees bent. His arms both dipped down low, crossed and then came up in front of his face with both arms held out vertically and parallel to each other. The kids mimicked Sieg as best they could, but the most beautiful thing was the unity that each child exhibited and the pride they felt of being a part of something.

The movements that followed were equally as slow, precise, and yet powerful. On the loud, "IYA!", they shifted into the next stance.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Lykaios Theta]

Her meal long ago finished, Willow had taken to alleys and side streets, never straying too far from the building she had come from. She was familiarizing herself with the area, learning the scents and sights so she knew how to find her way back should she end up lost. As time flew by, she extended her radius of exploration, heading further and further away from the building, first by main street and then by alleys and side streets. The idea had come to her shortly after she had heard the accusing shout, whether to her or to someone else. If she needed to run, she needed to know where to go, what was safe... all manner of things a denizen of Sigil would know without thinking.
It was in that way that she had come within a distance short enough to hear the sound of children yelling in unison. Curiosity taking over, the barefooted woman strode forth, her internal mapmaking set aside for the child-like endeavor. It wasn't long before she came to see what was the source of the unified cries, and with mild interest she paused in the thick of the crowd to stop, watching children work their way through the various forms of the simple kata. It was when her eyes caught upon the teacher of these workings however, that she moved closer, unsure that her eyes were telling her the truth. The same holy man from the previous night stood, acting as Sensei as he went through the forms with his pupils. If she was more easy-going, she probably would have laughed. Sieg Ecstuffuan: slayer of demons, saver of damsels, teacher of orphans.
Instead she rose an eyebrow, doubtful of how he could hide a cape and tights somewhere on his person. Silent, the woman moved closer, now entertaining herself by watching the children move through their forms. She would never object to learning the basics of war early on.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

After a few more forms a round jubilent woman would come out of the orphanage to claim the children away from Sieg's tutelage to which calmly obliged. He did not follow them in, noticing a presence behind him and turned to see Willow from the day before. He wondered had she been watching as he would raise his left hand to wave a friendly hello before saying, "Its good for your health, you should try it.". Sieg referred to the martial arts. He placed his hands behind his back and began to walk up to the girl still wondering if she was angry about the last thing he had said to her. He walked slowly and cautiously, unsure of her intentions.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Lykaios Theta]

There was no ire within her eyes, just curiosity that faded into an aloof expression as Sieg approached. Whatever question she had wanted to raised faded into the background, the wolf noticing the caution of the rabbit. She raised her hand in a wave (more out of acknowledgement than any undue warmth), and nodded at his statement.
"I wouldn't worry about my health in that regard."
If her posture did not confirm her lack of anger, than the tone of her voice did. She had let herself be stirred up by someone who knew nothing of her, a stupid thing to do. One thing she would not make the mistake of again.
She watched the children file their way back into the building, intent on gaging strength and speed within the youths; a master picking out dogs for the ring. It was something she did unconsciously, picking out the strongest, and the weakest by posture and motion.
"How often do you do this?" she asked casually. She also wondered if he had a wife, for certainly no sane man would put on this superhero act for nothing.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

Sieg looked down and then up as if trying to think of a good answer to her question. "Well I try to do it each day whenever I'm in town, which I guess is more than often than not these days. These old women who run the place need a break, those kids are a handful.". Oddly enough the children seemed to be quite docile when they were with Sieg. His almost divine aura and heroic disposition could inspire heroism even in small children. Though Sieg himself, did not realize this."These kids have hard working parents who don't get to see them a lot. So I try to give them something to focus on so they're thoughts don't drift to the dark places.", Sieg made sure to look willow in the eye when he talked to her. It was a gaze of unconditional love that made Sieg seem like a person who was easy to trust.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Lykaios Theta]

Genuinely interested, Willow gave a nod. They had seemed like hard-working kids, very much focused on the physical task; a hard thing to come by in children of this day and age. Video games and television seemed to keep children from any other long-term focus, letting muscles weaken and minds blur. They had their advantage though; They made children used to the sights of violence.
But what Sieg did was making them used to the feel of it.
"Those kids are a handful," he broke into her reverie.
"Children usually are," she absentmindedly commented, her mind pushing itself back onto the topic at hand. Her eyes turned from the orphanage to Sieg, watching him in interest. A rather...interesting smile crossed her visage,remembering her earlier thoughts. People like him made what she used to do easier. She could appreciate that.
"A good thing to do for them. I'm surprised you can find the time to do such a thing," she commented.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

"Not like I have much else to do.", Sieg said with a hint of sadness. His thoughts drifted on Athena and the fact that with each day he grew older, while she was reliving the prime of his life. There newborn age difference drove a tangible wedge deeper in between them. Half of the time, Sieg had no idea where Athena was and the thing was he felt that it was mostly his fault. "There was a time where I thought that my fist could do the world the most good but...", Sieg broke his gaze from willows."I think that the most I can leave behind when I leave this world will be wrought by an open open palm and wise word rather than a closed fist..."

But the thing that got Sieg the most was that the most natural thing in the world to him was throwing a punch.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Lykaios Theta]

Willow caught the edge to his voice. It seemed to her that he wished he could do more. As he went on, she let the silence slip on for a while afterwards, thinking. As his eyes broke away, hers fell back to the building. She had always found orphanages to be so...frustrating. It was natural to want to raise children, increase the populace.. There would always be a family that wanted a child somewhere. Yet still, these buildings remained a functioning part of society and their inhabitants delved deeper into thinking of themselves as unwanted blemishes within that society the longer they remained. Her mind traveled back to what Sieg had said, thinking hard upon what exactly it was she wanted to say.
"Vita est infinita labos," the Latin was a breathless mutter, as she thought.
"We all have a natural affinity towards violence. In nature, it is how animals assert dominance, settle disputes, and get food. When women look for mates, they subconsciously look first at the ones who are best able to do and protect from violence. Violence has worked for millenia. Yet, as creation has evolved to find itself with...intelligence, mortals find themselves trying to prove their intelligence by separating themselves from animals in the most basic way possible." She turned her eyes towards him for a brief moment, before turning her eyes to the ground with interest. "It is a fascination to me. I have tried such a way," she scoffed, "And found I cannot stand it. It is a hard thing to struggle against nature; against normalcy. Of course to a society that strives to do as such... you appear as something memorable, sometimes in a good way, other times in a bad." Her violet eyes shifted to him. "And to struggle against nature in this way, it makes you appear to them as a saint, no more so for your obvious ability to do violence."
She left the question ring in her tone, subtle and easy to look over if he so wished to: Why did he choose to do it?

{ 1. Life is endless struggle." }

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

Sieg looked back at her for a moment with a serious look on his face, then suddenly after a moment of thought Sieg spoke with a smile. As he begun to talk he walked away from her, seeking to keep his hands doing something productive. He began picking up trash left by passerby's out in the front yard of the orphanage. A plain golden band glinted in the twilight sun as he bent over to pick up a plastic bottle. "There is truth in what you say.

However, I am no saint. Very few people see me as any more than a human man with too much power in his fist.

My religion is very unpopular Ms. Willow. Most people see me as an oppressive tyrant. Sympathizers for undead see me as the monster. Yet I follow this religion and I stand up for my belief's because I want to leave this world better than how I found it. To do that I have to be more than a man...So I attempt to hold god in my heart so that I may have his blessings to do good will. Humans are animals as you say but I want to follow the way of god so that I may surpass my own animal nature.

For all the good my faith has allowed me to do, I turn sixty years of age and I look back on the world. I see that for all of my glory, for all of my victories, for the legend I have built of myself...I have done little to stem the tide of the influx of evil into this world. I see that age and dark circumstance has built a tangible glass wall between me and my wife...and my son, despite all of the strength he inherited from me, does for himself rather than others.

I do not believe my god has forsaken me...but I no longer know what my purpose is. I merely hope that my existence may provide some positive influence for the lives that will continue after I am gone.", the admittance of Sieg's age may come to a shock to Willow. Sieg was a human and yet despite that he didn't look nearly as old as he professed to be. In fact the tall athletic black man looked to be about 25 years younger than that. Yet the way he moved when he did mundane things other than martial arts made it seem as if he carried the world on his shoulders, as many elderly do.

Sieg paused for a moment, not sure why he was telling this woman all this. He broke into a cold sweat, somewhat embarrassed. Sieg was rather lonely these days and he didn't have many to talk too. Though he had not intended to bear much of himself to strangers, it had all just seemed to bubble over anyway.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Lykaios Theta]

{Sorry. .__. thought-provoking responses are hard for me to think of }

Willow flashed a mouthful of white, shark-like teeth.
"If the world were black and white, there would be no need for people like me or you, Mr. Ecstuffuan. We fall between, and we search to make the shades of gray in people darker or lighter, sometimes having the opposite effect of what we desire," she nodded to herself. "You will have those that hate what you do, because their shade of gray is lighter than even yours. They give what deserves no chance, opportunity to make right, sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes out of acceptance for that which is surviving as it was made. As God intended, if I were to use a common phrase." The grin widened. "You have accepted that some creatures will never make amends, and you hunt them down. It is not such a bad thing. It is... an endless war for you." She turned to watch him pick up trash, and in but a few moments even joined in. "That you feel futility in such a struggle, I must say I regret deeply," she paused for a moment with the trash in her hand, and looked back at the orphanage, visibly torn for a moment. "A man I knew once told me people remember action, not idle talk. If we are to lead by example, then it is swift action that must be brought, and others will follow shortly in our footsteps. If we can spur others to action, then a decision-blow can be overturned in but a second. An endless war can be ended." Her eyes hadn't left the orphanage. "Every life you teach in there is taught discipline and restraint. They are also taught methods of hurting people. Possible ways to kill. What holds you to the belief that they will stay the path, is the same thing that should be holding you to believe that what you do is not futile, and that your God has a purpose for your son." She threw the trash in her hands into the nearest refuse bin.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Propel The Spacecraft in the Pleiades

Willow spoke strangely for a gaian and Sieg was visibly taken aback by her words that rung as more sensible than anything Sieg had heard in a long time. He began wondering who this woman was. Sieg had not expected to meet her twice, as meeting a stranger twice in Sigil was almost impossible. Sieg then realized he was staring then he quickly looked away. "Excuse me Miss Willow. It is strange for me to meet many people whom I can find some common ground with.", Sieg then continued picking up trash.

"but the problem is Miss Willow, I am not a leader as no one desires to follow my path. I must admit the road of service to your fellow man isn't the most comfortable. Very few of these children will desire to be men and women who stands up for the forces of light and life. They will be swayed by the fortune, darkness and sensuality of the darkness.

Though this may be just a mere example of me, as you say, trying to make light or dark out of shades of grey."

Sieg would continue picking up trash for a while until a thought occurred to him and he stopped.

"Let me ask you a question Miss Willow. Do you think I'm insane. You seem to be conscious of my standing amongst the populous."

It really didn't matter what her answer was. Sieg had a few people who still thought well of him, such as the people at the orphanage. Sieg noted Willows teeth and he began wondering what exactly she was.

Dwell in the abyssal plane like the hordes of hades

[Lykaios Theta]

As she turned from her good deed of the day, she felt and then caught his eyes burning into her with a stare. Obviously she had his attention. Willow leaned against the fence of the front yard, and shrugged.
"Don't apologize. You aren't the first. Probably won't be the last. Soldiers like us are a dying breed."
As he made a hard attempt to not look at her, she wished for the first time in a long while that she could perhaps just reach out and touch him, without the possibility of hurting him in the process. He thought so ill of himself, so uncertain of his cause, so helpless in his purpose... if she wasn't patient, she might have preyed upon such weakness and crumpled him right there.
"But you see, the key word is few. Pessimism doesn't suit you, it really doesn't. You're more liable to miss what is in front of you. The point is there will be children that wish to follow. Whatever good deeds they do along the way may inspire others, even if soon afterwards those children decide it is not their path. In that way, such actions ripple through this world. It is the same with the underworld, Mr. Ecstuffuan. The only difference is the destruction such ripples bring is oft more noticed than the kindly action."
She smiled briefly, musing on the irony of a demon teaching a holy man optimism.
"And how dare you," she said, feigning mock offense, "tell me what these children of yours will grow up to be. No one is entirely good, sir. You still kill, whether the life is unclean, impure, what have you... it is life. If a child gives into such darkness, it does not mean that they will become entirely evil either. And of course, 'no one is so far into darkness that they cannot be brought back into the light', yadda yadda..." she gestured with a roll of her hand, moving on with the topic, and faded to polite silence as he asked his question.
"Insane? No. I think," she breathed, "I think you are misguided." She noticed in that instant that he had paused in his work. Did her opinion truly matter so much to him? She shifted awkwardly against the fence, her voice softer.
"You try to make the world into black or white. As intelligence has evolved, so has the complexity of the mind and the decisions it can make. It is not always yes, or no, there's multiple reasonings, why it can be one or the other, or why switching the perspective with a problem can create another solution entirely. You're trying to make everything two-dimensional, yes or no...black and white. You can't force the masses to that mindset. You can't tell them to worship and devote themselves wholly to a Lord that always forgives, when they can indulge themselves, and be forgiven again by that same Lord." She closed her eyes for a moment. "You're a very righteous man. There is nothing wrong with that."